Fuel economizer for internal-combustion engines



June 1924.

M. LOFBACK FUEL ECONOMIZER FOR INTERNAM COMBUTION ENGINES Filed Sept.22, 1922 Patented .lune 245i, i924.

narran .trarne with??? MATHEW LOFBACK, OF SEBEKAQMINNESOTA.

FUEL ECONOMIZER FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES.

Applicat )n filed September-22, 1922. rSerial No. 589,915.

, To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, MATHEW LorsAcK, a citizen of the United States,residing at Sebeka, in the county of lVadena and State of Minnesota,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fuel Economizersfor internal-Combustion Engines; and l do hereby declare the followingto be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such aswill enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make anduse the same.

This invention relates to an internal coinbustion en'ine andparticularly to such an engine of tie automobile type. In such engines,there is considerable leakage ofthe 'uel mixture or gas past the pistonsin the cylinders, which gas passes into the engine or crank casing. Aconsiderable volume of combustible gas is therefore contained in thecrank casing:

It is an object of this invention to provide means on the engineforlutilizing this gas contained in the crank or engine casing.

lt is a further object of the invention to accomplish this result byproviding a conduit connected to the crank casing and also connected tothe fuel intake conduit of the engine.

t is more specifically an object of the invention to provide such aconduit, together with a screening means for preventing solid natterbeing drawn thereinto from the crank casing and to provide a valve inthe air intake conduit beyond the connection of the conduit from thecrank casing thereto.

'These and other objects and advantages of the invention will more fullyappear from the following description made in connection with theaccompanying drawings in which the single view shows a side elevation (fan internal combustion engine with the invention applied thereto.

Referring to the drawing, an `automobile engine of the well known Fordtype is more or less diagralnmatically represented and which illustratesthe intake manifold l. the carburetor 2:, the air intake conduit 3, theadjusting means i for the carburetcr and the engine and crank casing 5.The carbureter has the usual throttle valve arm 3 and the choke valvearm 7. In the type oit engine illustrated, there is usually'a pipe,.Meli as shown at 8, connected to the crank casing and having airpassages thereinto to equalize the pressure in the crank casing withthat of the atmosphere, which pipe is coininonly known as the breatherpipe. ln the embodiment of the invention illustrated, a conduit 9 isprovided connected at one end 60 to the pipe 8 and ythus to the crankcasing and connected at its other end to the air intake conduit 3. Aconduit 9 is prbvided with a iexible section l0 so that the saine may besomewhat bent to pass operating` means 4. The pipe 15 thereon ofsubstantially7 shape about the lower edge of passes into said pipe. Ascreen l1 is placed in the pipe 8 below the conduit 9 and a wing 7 0 ordiaphragm valve 12 is provided in the conduit 3 above the conduit l0having the operating handle 13 and being -rictionally held in adjustedposition by a spring 111.

ln operation, air will he drawn through I5 the conduit 3, as usual, andthrough the carbureter 2 into the intake manifold. The gas contained inthe crank casing 5 will also be drawn into the carburetef.' through theconduit 9, as indicated by the arrows and BU some air will pass into thepipe 8 through the cap 15, as indicated by the arrows. The amounto'suction throu h the conduit 9 can be varied by adjusting the valve l2and any solid or other objectionable matter will he' et prevented frompassing into the conduit 9 y the screen ll. The combustible gasespassing into the crank casing 5 will thus he utilized and will becarried with the heated air into the carbureter 2 where they will a0 bemixed with the usual fuel mixture. The air and combustible gas yin thecrank casing is also churned with theoil therein and oecomes somewhatemulsiiied andthe mixing of this air with l"the flnel assists inefficiently e5 lubrica-tingthe valves and cylinder. The amount of oilthus carried, however, is not sufficient to cause any objectionableresults in the cylinder.

The applicant has demonstrated the in- 10c vention in actual practiceand nds that considerable more mileage can be obtained from a givenquantity of fuel by the use ci the invention. When the saine is used thecarbureter can be adjusted to feed 'much less 1er fuel than when the'invention is not used.

While in the embodiment of the inven tion illustrated the conduit 9connects the crank casing with the intake pipe 3 beyond the carbureter,it is within the scope of the lic present invention to connect saidconduit at any point in the intake pipe or manifold.

8 has a cap sernrspherical which the air around the 6E From the abovedescription it is seen niiet applicantlias provided e simple andefficient clevie for eeonomizing fuel. The parte of the device areextremely Simple and een be readily ,and inexpensively apfpled toStendarl automobile engines with no appreciable' change in the partsthereof.

am ilieinel eomloue- :Lee

y n -C 4f Peli@ oi die tion engine having a ora-nk easing, a weatherpipe at one and thereof, an intake manifold, a eeibueter connected etone side to said mani'ol, im ai? ilet pipe connected lo the other eideof Seid oarburetei, a manually controlleel thiottle valve on themanifold sifle o the eerbueter, and e manually contlolled choke valve atthe ai? inlet pipe end of "alle ealmetei, of an unobstfuoteclconexleediug from the breather pipe cli- 'v Substantially horizontally'to Seial ipe, and e manually controlled edeflie acljao'ent the top ofseid ait* md above 'the end of said conduit. whereof l ax my signature.M ATHEW LFBACK.

